• Fighting fires can be expensive and when the cause of the fire is an act of God, such as lightning, or when the fire is caused by a passing motorist throwing a cigarette out the window there is no way to recover the cost. The Groton Fire District wrote off $13,142 worth of fire expenses that were declared uncollectible during their Monday meeting.
• The good news is that the board did a great job of controlling their budget and making use of the money and resources available to them. The board was able to increase the budget from last year by $28,000, mostly through the use of grants and paid fire calls.
• The titles for the Bath station equipment are being transferred over to the Groton Fire District. The trucks will soon start to rotate into the maintenance schedule. The new door locks should be installed soon. The two new locks for the Groton station have already been installed.
• Six firemen are currently taking the firemen certification course in addition to two or three others that are picking up classes missed. Recruitment of new firemen in the Bath area is going well. The four new sets of bunker gear for the Bath station have been ordered, but have not come in yet.
• Rick Pigors volunteered to put together specifications for the new concrete apron to be installed in front of the Groton station. Once the specifications are done, letters will be sent out by the board to area contractors to submit a bid for the work. Arrangements may need to be made to store equipment nearby while the work is being done.
• Dale Ringgenberg reported that two people are currently taking EMT classes. The class costs $500 and is the first time the classes are being offered online. The state is using Groton and Faulkton as test subjects to see how the new program will work. Approval was given by the board to reimburse the cost of the course once the individuals are certified with a passing grade.
• Groton also has four members that need to be recertified. A recertification class will be offered in February. The board approved paying for the course work as well as wages for one day.
• There is new member on the rescue squad team, Cody Bonn. He is still in need of pager. Fire Chief Dion Bahr will get him one, meanwhile he has a radio.
• Groton is still in the running for a grant to purchase a new truck and equipment. Ringgenberg also reported that while the information for the next round of grants has not yet been released, it is time to start thinking about what the District needs in way of equipment. It was suggested that a new grass rig be purchased for the

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